Last month I went back to France and again wanted to travel with a theme. But, instead of focusing on only Jazz Age attractions, eating French food, visiting modern art museums, drinking at bars that start with the letter Q, or whatever, my theme would be a style of travel, something a little broader. I’d be traveling using only (at least when possible) the sharing economy, the term given to the plethora of websites designed to connect travelers with locals, offer more unique experiences, and make travel more affordable.

While I’ve used the sharing the economy frequently before (I am a big fan), they have never the primary focus of my entire trip. I usually add a few activities in while I’m being a normal tourist seeing the main attractions.

But this trip was going to be different. My plan was to rely on Airbnb for accommodation, Couchsurfing for meetups, BlaBlaCar for transportation, EatWith and VizEat for meals, and Vayable and greeter programs (programs run by tourism boards that set you up with a local guide) for activities.

I wanted to get off the tourist trail, meet more locals, and (hopefully) learn more about a country I love so much.

But I also wondered: Would this be the best way to meet people? How much cheaper is it, really, to use only the sharing economy? Would it be more work? Would I even like using the sharing economy all the time?

So, with those questions in mind, I found myself waiting on a street corner in a random section of Paris for Justine, my BlaBlaCar driver, for the one hour ride to Orléans. I was little nervous. Not because of where I was, but because all her responses to my messages had been in French, and I was worried we wouldn’t end up talking much. I was right. After making some initial small talk with her and the other rider, we exhausted their English and my French and they just spoke French to each other while I buried my nose in a book. I can’t blame them though. It’s a lot easier to speak in your native tongue than grasp for words in a language you don’t know well.

So my two-week trip with the sharing economy began not with an exciting social bang, but a simple, polite whimper.

The rest of the two weeks? The results were mixed (and depended a lot on the service I was using).

In Orléans, my Airbnb hosts were young graphic designers, super accommodating, helpful, and had an excellent tea selection. However, they spoke little English, weren’t so keen to hang out, and mostly left me alone. But their home was beautiful. They lived in an old medieval house and I loved the ancient hardwood floors, exposed beams, and tiny staircase that gave the place a real sense of history.

In Tours, I quickly left my first place (they smoked) and found myself with Anne Marie and Patrick, an older couple who proved that the third time is often the charm. They cooked me breakfast (including adding a candle to my croissant on my birthday), and were incredibly friendly and polite. We swapped stories (they recently returned from a trip to the States and were in love with the $2 bill, Whole Foods, and the national parks) and laughed over a shared bottle of wine. To me, they embodied what Airbnb is really about and ended up extending my stay with them. (If you find yourself in Tours, I highly recommend staying with them.)

In each destination (and I went to many), I fired up the Couchsurfing app — but often found no one around to hang out with. In Orléans, Bloise, and Amboise, there was no one on the app. Sometimes Couchsurfing requires a shotgun approach, so I basically fired off emails to about a dozen hosts in Tours to see who wanted to hang out and ended meeting two people for drinks.

In Lyon, I had much better luck (it is the second largest city in France, after all). The app always showed activities and people interested in meet-ups. I had dinner with a few people, drinks with another small group, and spent a day in the park with even more. I met a local psychologist, a recent college grad touring his own country, a Syrian refugee from Aleppo (which I found to be an enlightening – and very depressing – experience), a fun Dane, and a Japanese tourist who wanted to be a farmer. They filled my time with laughter, fun, and insights.

The meal-sharing apps were hit and miss. EatWith, BonAppetour, VizEat, and AirDine always came back empty in smaller cities. There were just no hosts. I eventually found two last-minute hosts on VizEat in Lyon: one, a jazz musician, cooked me an awesome burger, and the other, a Thai guy and his boyfriend, made some delicious Thai food.

In terms of looking for fun things to do, Vayable yielded no results. I even branched out into other sites, like Withlocals and Airbnb Experiences, but those were all duds too. I was left to play the traditional tourist, though I did spend my last morning in Lyon walking around with a retired teacher from the Global Greeters program.

As for transportation, I used BlaBlaCar three times. After a few pleasantries to the driver in terrible French and English, or trying to speak in Spanish (a bridge language with a few drivers, as I spoke no French and they spoke no English), the conversation typically went silent as the driver and their passenger talked to each other in French and I found myself staring out the window or at a book.

As I left Lyon to fly back to States, I started to have mixed feelings about the sharing economy.

First, it’s not convenient. You’re dealing with people, not companies, and people have things pop up. Life gets in the way, so you can have encounter cancellations, delays, rejections, and odd meeting times. It’s not as simple as checking into a hostel or hotel or just buying a ticket for the train. You have to work around people’s schedules, which can often waste a lot of your day.

Second, it’s not always cheaper. While BlaBlaCar and Airbnb were much cheaper than traditional accommodation and transportation, listed meals tended to cost 30% or more than those found at a restaurant. And the listed tours were quite pricy too, often rivaling traditional tour companies. While there was the odd meal or activity that was cheap (though never available), the money saved using Airbnb or BlaBlaCar was eaten up (pun intended) by VizEat.

Third, it’s hit or miss. Every time we passed through a smaller town (or even a medium sized one), I would fire up the apps to see what was going on and — crickets. I probably would have had more luck if I had lined more hosts (at least on Couchsurfing) in advance but who can say?! That’s just a guess.

Finally, it’s very time consuming to research dozens of rideshares, meal hosts, tours, Couchsurfing hosts and events, and Airbnb listings. I probably spent a good eight hours altogether researching everything. It’s one thing to book one or two things using the sharing economy; it’s another to need to look through hundreds of potential Couchsurfing hosts, meals, activities, and hangouts every day.

Sidenote: One thing I didn’t like about BlaBlaCar in particular was the highways. I had envisioned this as a great way to talk (nope) and see the countryside (nope). Since most people are going from point A to point B and are in a rush, they stick to the highways. That isn’t to say this happens all the time, but I enjoyed the trains more, because I could see more of the countryside.

After using the sharing economy for two weeks, I don’t think I would devote so much of another trip to doing so. You can count me in for BlaBlaCar when I’m in expensive countries and major cities (though I would also try to find drivers who spoke English), the Couchsurfing app is going to continue to live on my phone (the hangout feature is golden), and I’ll use VizEat and EatWith in larger cities, as they led to some amazing experiences (one VizEat host took me to a French hip-hop jazz concert, and the other was just friendly as hell — and Thai, so we bonded over that!). Airbnb, despite its hiccups, is still also my preferred way to travel. I’m also not ready to fully declare the meal sharing and activity services as more expensive. They could be cheaper in other destinations. More research is required.

But, in the end, the sharing economy is not the panacea I thought it was and still has some growing pains (there should be a penalty for hosts who cancel last minute, not vice versa!). I won’t spend as much time researching and trying to find hosts or events. The time I spent sitting at my computer would have been better used outside doing something.

Yet still, for all its faults, the sharing economy is an interesting way to travel and meet locals. I may not devote an entire trip to it again but there’s no way I’ll abandon it completely.

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Totally know what you mean Matt as far as the driver experience. This happened for me many times. Not to me. Because it was for me to get comfortable with being uncomfortable, wanting to connect or fill dead air more than anything 😉 But sometimes when you go the sharing economy route you sprint from your comfort zone into growth situations, being at peace with not having tour guides or partners to connect with you in your native tongue. Bravo for theme traveling too; adds that depth you speak of.

If only we all spoke Esperanto! I have wonderful, deep connections with people in France, because I’m fluent in French. But I don’t have the same experience in Spain, which is no reflection on my or Spaniards’ friendliness, but just that I don’t speak much Spanish. That said, all the people who are on these sharing apps are at least open to connection, which is something.
Something I found pre-Internet for meeting people in any country was pursuing my hobby, which happened to be Argentine tango. I danced all over Europe. It was possible to do without knowing the local language, but there always would be somebody who spoke passable English. For friends of mine, it was Hash House Harriers. When you already share a common interest, the language finds a way.

I love the idea of travelling with a theme in mind. So often we visit places with no clear thoughts in mind even though we have researched the area extensively. I can imagine that this is a far more rewarding way to travel. For me, I would have to travel back to a time when some of the greats were writing in Paris – Hemingway, Fitzgerald – and the time of the original Shakespeare and Co bookshop. Perhaps this could be a theme idea for the next time we visit the city.

I appreciate your frank assessment of these services. Honestly, the time spent just isn’t worth it for me. If I can open the Hostelworld app and within 5-10 minutes have a great room booked in a perfectly located hostel, then the time saved is too valuable for me, even if I would ultimately enjoy the experience of the airbnb/couchsurfing.

This is really interesting because I always wondered how well these services worked outside of the major cities. Ease and reliability have always deterred me from many sharing platforms, and it sounds like I may not be entirely wrong. Still, it will be interesting to see where they go in the future!

This sounds really interesting but I can believe it is quite difficult sometimes to travel using only the sharing community. It sounds pretty amazing though if it actually works out. I’d love to try out couch surfing but still haven’t given it a try. Might do that soon, great post!

Often there is so much out there that the community can give us, and we just need to reach out and access it. I had no idea about the meal sharing pages, what a great idea! In terms of the language barrier, its always a problem if you don’t speak the language but I respect your decision to travel in such a way to really immerse yourself in French culture.

I’ve thought the meal sharing apps sound too expensive and difficult (especially when it’s so easy to walk down the street or look at Foursquare), so good to hear another point of view. But travelling long term with a dog in Europe, I’ve found Airbnb to be a fabulous match, not least because most hotels charge extra for dogs and have variable rules.

What a cool experiment to try! I haven’t tested out any of these yet except for Airbnb, but I’m hoping to work up the courage for my first Couchsurfing experience soon (at least the meet up part as you mentioned).

An interesting piece, Matt.
I have to say, to get the best from France you really should learn even a small amount of French. You cannot really complain when you use in a car share in France and nobody speaks English!
It’s interesting to see how the apps and services you tried don’t always work, especially when it comes to saving money.
That’s quite possibly because most people in France are used to paying just a few Dollars / Euros for a great lunchtime meal.
Known as Pat du Jour, or ‘dish of the day’ it’s a three or four course meal with no options, but includes wine and coffee. With food like that to hand, you don’t need an app.

Great article. I like honest reviews of experiences. I thought you spoke more French than you do since you have been there more than once. I had great experiences with The Language Exchange. I got to practice my French and two families invited me to stay in their home. I had dinner with a few more friends I met online. I haven’t used any of your suggestions, but may try couch surfing. Learning the language made the trip in France so much more fun. I had great conversations with taxi drivers and store owners. Got great service and made lots of friends.

Hi Matt, I’ve been really looking forward to reading about your travels in France, and I have to say I’m a little disappointed! Maybe it’s because I speak French… Outside of Paris, not many French people speak great English. I love getting to speak French (I’m at an advanced level), so I like going to smaller cities and towns and getting to practice it.

I think you’ll also find that American apps & blogs aren’t popular in France outside of Paris or other big cities. There’s a slower pace of life, and more interest in meeting actual people. If you go to a bar or a family restaurant, use a local tour company, or take a class of some sort (yoga, dance, wine-related, cooking-related, lecture class at a bookstore), you could make French friends who might then invite you out with them or back to their home. Going to local markets or stopping by a farm, can get you a really good meal for cheap. Doing airbnb, hostels, or staying with a friend of a friend can be a good way to find cheap lodgings. And as you noticed, taking the train has prettier views, it easily gets you from point A to point B (faster than a car and more convenient to train stations in the city center), and usually it’s comfier! If you book your train tickets in advance, you can find tickets that aren’t too expensive, as well.

I know you speak some Spanish…have you tried learning the local language before? It really adds to your travel experience! It’d be cool to see you blog about learning a language for traveling.

Fascinating! Thank you, Matt, for testing out the sharing economy in this immersive way!
In the end, given my experience, I agree: it’s great for something here or there, but not for everything, and not all the time. It’s much more time consuming that we might think, and rarely the cost-saver we hope it will be. BUT….it is a great way to meet and mingle with locals.

Hi Matt! I want to clarify for people who are thinking of traveling to France or studying abroad that if you do speak French, I think your experience will be a lot different! I lived in France for 6 months two years ago, and I relied on BlaBla Car, AirBnB, and other meetup services/programs. The expectation in France is just a bit different from America. All my BlaBla car drivers expected me to chat the whole time — they would significantly reduce my rating if I didn’t in most cases, which took some getting used to. But BlaBla car was an awesome way, as a French speaker, to flex my skills and improve. Given that you don’t speak the native language and you were using a service that most non-French tourists don’t use, I wouldn’t expect your drivers to speak French or want to communicate with someone outside of their native tongue. As for meetup services, I never heard of or used the ones you mentioned while abroad, but there are a ton of bilingual or expat meetups across France. Facebook and Google are your friend in this case; you can often just search for “Expat” or “Bilingual” + town name, and you’ll see events. Public Facebook events and groups are a way bigger thing in some of these smaller towns than I would have thought. I hope this helps for folks headed abroad!

I’ve been traveling for over a year non-stop using the sharing economy apps for housing, transportation and work, and have been able to keep my budget under $500 a month. This includes going to 15 countries around Asia and Europe.

I think that once you get the hang of it its easy to find out if people are cool or not and instead of hit or miss it becomes hit or neutral. Very rarely have we had misses, except for the cleanliness of some places in Asia being extremely subpar.

I would be happy to write an in-depth article about all this if you would like 🙂

No doubt you can do this on the cheap, especially if you are working and volunteering. What websites and services are you using? I’d be interested to know which ones and how you’ve found using them in smaller locations.

Matt, to tell you the truth, this is the first time I am hearing of so many apps mentioned here. I am a frequent Airbnb user myself and I love using it when I am traveling inside as well as outside India. I have met a lot of locals myself through Airbnb. I will definitely check out some of the other apps. Thanks for sharing this list with us.

I was surprised when I read your article. I had the idea that the sharing economy was where you would find work to sustain your needs as opposed to using money. I’ve read about places that will let you work on the farm, and you sleep/eat there in exchange, for a day or few days that suit your desire, the idea being you’d probably vacation to another locale soon. After reading your article, I see that the sharing economy is much more!

I wonder how this approach would work in a country besides France. I read a story (I believe in a book) about a guy in his early-20’s or so who set the goal to travel around the world for free. He started out in England, his homeland, and it went amazingly well for him, but once he crossed to France he received virtually zero help and his attempt was over after mere weeks.
While people listed on sharing economy sites will be more predisposed to meeting/helping than approaching random people, I think there’s a definite cultural component where this just isn’t as widely done in France as other places.

As a French dude reading these lines I must say I don’t really see anything about the French culture that would prevent from meeting/helping a random stranger. I am sure contextual information would be needed to understand why it didn’t work out for the guy you’re talking about.

As a matter of fact, I remember my grandma would sometimes add another plate at the table in case a stranger needed food (apparently that was some Christian tradition). Now don’t get me wrong, this was back in the old days when France was still mostly religious, I don’t think anyone does that anymore. As of today, I would say that hospitality still is a thing with the youngsters, and inviting people to dinner or hanging out is still a pretty big thing.
I will agree with the article though, outside of any major city and even in the big cities, not being able to communicate (notice I say I say communicate, not speak) in French would probably be a good a reason for not succeeding.

While I am sure what you say might be true in a sense, (I mean, being french doesn’t necessarily mean I speak the truth when talking about my culture), I just wanted to add insights for people who would want to do such things in France.

I appreciate you sharing your experience. I know the headaches I had researching and booking and upcoming trip for us, my 83yo dad and his brothers. Trying to get good prices on the train, a good homeaway, rental cars, and shuttles, wow! It’s good to hear about the downs and not just the ups. I could not imagine trying to rely on uber or such with all my elders in tow.

Nice post and a Great blog, I really appreciate your efforts and i will be waiting for your further write ups. Keep posting such kind of information on your blog. I bookmarked it for continuous visit. Thanks for sharing this.

Thanks Matt, good info. I am definitely going to try out VizEat when I am in Europe next year. It appears if one researches properly a good foodie experience can be found without breaking the budget. Other than hostels what other ways do you meet up with solo travelers?

I prefer AirBnb too over Couchsurfing. There were quite a few places available on AirBnb in France even just 24 hours earlier, that too in December. And at least AirBnb comes with the guarantee of a place to stay. And although I’ve made some nice friends Couchsurfing, quite often I’ve received responses from hosts after my travel is over (even after mailing a few months in advance.) So yeah, AirBnb over CS. But I hadn’t heard of VizEat and BonAppetour. Will try that next time.

Funny that you would write this post. I spent this past year doing the same thing in France, but using workaway.info. Because my French is decent, we were able to make many connections with locals. However, much like you, I don’t believe that I will continue to use the services often because it was more of a disappointment and hassle than a great time.
I have found that simple activities like dance classes, conversation exchanges and neighborhood events were much more effective when it came to meeting new people.

Hi Matt, great article on the sharing economy and can see the attraction but would it be fair to say that this approach is better suited to the traveller with time on their hands and who can afford the odd failure or let down with arrangements?

For the majority of overseas travellers a two week vacation is probably their major annual holiday, possibly on a budget, so accommodation and most logistics need to be arranged well in advance to get the most out of their holiday. Love to know your thoughts for future reference?